kandev/docs/specs/integrations/github-authentication.md

status, created, amended, owner

status	created	amended	owner
building	2026-07-19	2026-08-12	Kandev

Workspace GitHub Authentication

Why

GitHub credentials must not silently cross workspace boundaries. A local workspace may only need a human PAT or a named gh CLI account, while unattended company automation benefits from a GitHub App's short-lived, repository-scoped installation tokens. Users also need to keep work and personal automation under different GitHub Apps without operating separate Kandev deployments.

What

• Every workspace chooses exactly one automation source: PAT, a named gh CLI account, a verified GitHub App installation, or the migration-only legacy_shared source.
• GitHub App registration is configured from the workspace GitHub settings flow. There is no singleton GitHub App settings page and no automatically active deployment App.
• A workspace may select a GitHub App registration already known to the Kandev deployment, import an existing GitHub App that the user owns, or create a new GitHub App through GitHub's App Manifest flow. Import and creation guide the user through ownership, callback, webhook, permission, visibility, and installation requirements.
• The deployment stores a catalog of GitHub App registrations because a user may intentionally reuse one App across workspaces. Each workspace still selects and installs an App independently. Selecting an existing registration never binds another workspace automatically.
• Users who require independent root credentials, bot identity, revocation, or ownership create a separate registration for each trust boundary. Work and personal workspaces can therefore use different Apps.
• Reusing one registration shares its App private key, client secret, webhook secret, permission policy, and bot identity. Installation tokens, workspace repository scope, connection generation, broker leases, health, and personal OAuth tokens remain workspace isolated.
• A newly created App defaults to private, meaning GitHub permits installation only on the account that owns it. The user may explicitly choose public when the same App must be installable on other GitHub accounts or organizations. Public does not list the App in Marketplace, reveal secrets, or grant repository access without installation approval.
• PAT and named CLI automation act as the verified human account. A separate My GitHub connection is only offered when workspace automation uses a GitHub App, because App installations are not people and cannot provide authenticated-viewer semantics.
• Named CLI account discovery accepts a successful gh auth status report from either stdout or stderr, while preserving non-empty stdout as the authoritative command result.
• User-triggered mutations prefer the workspace's verified personal connection, then a human PAT/CLI automation connection, then the App installation. The UI always identifies the effective actor and never labels an App mutation as human-attributed.
• Background watches, cleanup, repository discovery, and workflow sync always use the workspace automation connection. Personal credentials are never exposed to agents or executors.
• Task Git credential routing is a separate workspace policy. Managed workspace credentials gives attached GitHub repositories task/repository/generation-bound broker leases from the workspace automation connection. Inherit executor Git credentials injects no GitHub broker helper or gh shim: Local and Worktree tasks use host-visible Git/SSH credentials, while remote tasks use credentials configured in that executor.
• A task that is explicitly created for a pre-PR fork contribution under managed task credentials may carry one server-authored, versioned contribution_destination on its canonical repository attachment. Managed routing may issue one additional lease for that exact fork. The fork is a push destination only: canonical repository identity, origin, issue lookup, and pull-request targeting remain unchanged. Executor-owned identities are opaque and do not receive a workspace-authored destination binding.
• Every newly created workspace attempts to persist Inherit executor Git credentials as its initial task policy. After a successful settings write, if creation is performed by an internal trusted caller, an auth-disabled synthetic administrator, or a real administrator while host gh has an authenticated active account, Kandev also stores that exact host/login as the new workspace's named CLI automation connection. Non-admin member-created workspaces never receive the server operator's CLI identity automatically.
• If host gh is absent, unauthenticated, or cannot validate its active account, workspace creation still succeeds with executor task access and disconnected GitHub automation. If the executor settings write fails, creation still succeeds but the existing managed compatibility fallback remains until the workspace is configured or retried. Existing workspaces are never migrated to these defaults; their connection, persisted policy, and legacy missing/invalid policy fallback remain unchanged.
• Workspace settings present the automation identity and task Git credential routing as one Workspace GitHub access group. The page shows a compact read-only summary of both effective choices; the existing Change GitHub connection dialog contains the full controls for the automation method and task routing policy. The task policy remains independent in behavior and persistence even though the related choices share one configuration surface.
• The connection dialog has one Save changes action for local PAT or named CLI connection drafts and task Git access. Method-specific Connect token, Use account, and Save task access actions are not shown. GitHub App create, import, and install remain explicit workflow actions because they leave Kandev for GitHub rather than saving a local connection draft.
• For Kandev-managed GitHub checkouts used by Local and Worktree tasks, the selected task policy also controls the persisted origin transport. Managed routing uses canonical GitHub HTTPS. Executor inheritance uses the host's detected gh clone protocol, including SSH, and reconciles an existing managed checkout when the policy changes. This makes Git conditional includes based on remote.*.url observe the same transport the task uses. Kandev never rewrites the remote of a repository registered as a user-managed local checkout.
• Repository preparation resolves each attached repository once per launch or resume and reuses that result for primary-repository configuration, multi-repository configuration, and credential routing. Origin reconciliation is serialized per managed checkout, compares the current and desired canonical URLs, and performs no write when they already match.
• Repository preparation validates any contribution destination before issuing credentials, adds a collision-resistant dedicated fork remote, and reconstructs it on launch and resume. It never accepts a fork inferred from the checkout's current remotes or a caller-provided repository name.
• Git failures while inspecting or reconciling a managed checkout preserve a bounded, credential-redacted diagnostic. Git's dubious-ownership failure is classified as a service/data ownership mismatch with guidance to restore the intended Kandev service account or reconcile the managed data owner. Kandev does not bypass Git's ownership protection with a broad safe.directory entry.
• Under managed routing, App installation tokens are minted for the requested repository and cached only in memory. PAT/CLI tokens retain their provider-granted scope once delivered to a trusted agent subprocess. GitHub HTTPS and the broker-aware gh shim fail closed rather than consulting another ambient helper after a managed-helper failure.
• A managed pre-PR fork destination must be writable by the same workspace automation source that supplies the task leases. Human PAT and named CLI automation actors may own or create their fork. An App installation without direct target write access is not silently paired with a user's personal fork or personal token.
• Managed Git helper execution does not depend on the post-startup PATH: Git resolves an absolute Kandev-owned agentctl executable published before the first managed Git operation. Local and Worktree preparation binds the helper to the standalone launcher's absolute executable before checkout or setup scripts run. Remote preparation binds it to the installed executor binary before cloning, and a running agentctl publishes its own executable for child processes. Non-interactive Unix login shells that replace their inherited PATH restore the managed CLI-shim directory after profile initialization for broker-enabled tasks, while preserving pre-existing Bash environment hooks, including hook paths containing $VAR or ${VAR} references from the effective child environment. Broker-disabled and executor-inheritance processes receive no shell hook or managed-tool path.
• Under managed routing, every authorized task execution surface receives the same current task-scoped Git environment: the agent subprocess, terminal shells, passthrough-agent PTYs, and task-scoped command processes. This includes the broker contract, managed indexed Git configuration, and the agentctl/gh shim-first PATH; it does not grant access to a browser client, an unrelated host shell, or another workspace's task environment.
• Kandev composes the indexed GIT_CONFIG_COUNT / GIT_CONFIG_KEY_<n> / GIT_CONFIG_VALUE_<n> protocol across host, executor, profile, task, and agentctl boundaries. Unrelated entries such as hooks, notes, safe-directory, and URL-rewrite settings survive in their original order; later Kandev credential entries affect only their intended GitHub credential keys. An already-forwarded suffix is not duplicated.
• Explicit executor-profile GITHUB_TOKEN or GH_TOKEN values remain unmanaged operator overrides and take precedence over the workspace broker when managed routing is selected.
• Every successful task launch or resume records a non-secret session snapshot of the selected policy, effective credential source, known method and actor, transport, executor, and capture time. Inherited and profile-token actors are labeled runtime-selected instead of being probed.
• The unpublished KANDEV_GITHUB_APP_* configuration introduced on this branch is removed. Setting those variables does not create or configure a registration; operators use the guided import flow for an App they already own.
• Existing released workspaces migrate to legacy_shared; upgrades do not rewrite their connection or task policy. New operator-authorized workspaces use the active authenticated host gh account when one can be validated, while member-created workspaces and workspaces created without usable host gh remain disconnected. Once a workspace leaves legacy mode it cannot return. The unpublished singleton registration schema on this branch is rewritten directly and receives no compatibility migration. A valid legacy connection supplies both the existing API client abstraction and an in-memory Git transport credential so provider-backed repositories can be rematerialized from legacy shared managed paths into workspace-isolated clone roots.
• Copying a workspace copies repository preferences but never copies a PAT, CLI account selection, App installation binding, registration secret, or personal identity.

Choosing A Method

Method	Use when	Benefits	Costs and limits
PAT	A local or simple workspace should act as one person	Fast setup; human attribution	Long-lived bearer secret; agents receive its full provider scope
Named gh CLI	The desired human account already exists in local gh auth	No token copied into Kandev; deterministic account selection	Depends on host CLI credentials; remote agents still use the brokered bearer token
GitHub App	An organization or unattended workspace needs managed automation	Short-lived repository-scoped tokens; independent revocation; App attribution	Requires App ownership, callback/webhook configuration, installation, and a public HTTPS URL for full lifecycle health

The workspace UI explains that an App is recommended for background jobs and managed agents, but it does not claim agents can only use the selected method. Explicit executor credentials and other unmanaged tools remain outside Kandev's workspace credential contract.

The automation method and task Git credential policy are independent. Selecting a named gh account does not inherit the host's Git configuration: in managed mode Kandev resolves that exact host/login and brokers its token to the task. Users who want traditional host or executor behavior select Inherit executor Git credentials explicitly.

Identity And Routing

Purpose	First choice	Fallback	Attribution
Background reads and writes	Workspace automation	None	Automation principal
Managed task git and gh access	Workspace automation	Explicit profile token	Automation principal, or runtime-selected override
Inherited task Git access	Executor-visible Git/SSH credentials	None	Runtime-selected
My GitHub reads	Personal connection	Human PAT/CLI automation	Human principal
User-triggered mutation	Personal connection	Human PAT/CLI, then App installation	Effective principal shown in UI

An App-only workspace without personal OAuth remains usable for automation and App-attributed mutations. My GitHub instead offers a personal connection created with the same App registration as the workspace installation.

GitHub App Policy

Kandev-created Apps request repository metadata read; contents read/write; pull requests read/write; issues read/write; checks, statuses, and Actions read; administration read; organization members read; and workflows write. The UI exposes this policy through a permissions button and dialog, not a row of chips. The App subscribes to the configurable push and check_run events. GitHub sends installation, installation_repositories, and github_app_authorization lifecycle events automatically, so they are handled but are not part of the requested event policy.

An imported App must meet the same callback, OAuth-on-install, webhook, event, and permission requirements. Kandev validates the App identity and reports missing capabilities after installation. It does not silently change an imported App's GitHub settings. The guide provides exact values and GitHub links for the user to apply.

Data Model

github_app_registrations

One row per GitHub App known to this Kandev deployment. Registration metadata is catalog state; workspace use is represented only by an explicit workspace connection.

Field	Type	Constraint
id	UUID text	Primary key; allocated before manifest creation
source	enum text	managed (manifest-created) or imported
display_name	text	Non-empty user-facing disambiguator
github_host	text	github.com in this feature
app_id	int64	Positive; unique with github_host
client_id	text	Non-secret App OAuth client identifier
slug	text	Verified App slug
owner_login	text	Verified App owner
owner_type	enum text	User or Organization
visibility	enum text	private or public
public_base_url	text	Canonical public HTTPS origin
created_for_workspace_id	text nullable	Provenance only; not an automatic binding
credential_generation	int64	Positive; cache and lease invalidation key
credential_secret_id	text	Non-empty encrypted bundle pointer
status	enum text	active or invalid
webhook_status	enum text	unverified, verified, or failing
last_webhook_at	timestamp nullable	Last correctly signed delivery for this registration
last_error	text nullable	Sanitized validation or runtime failure
created_at, updated_at	timestamp	Required

Managed and imported credentials are immutable encrypted bundles under github:app-registration:<registration-id>:g<generation>:<nonce>. A versioned bundle contains the private key, client secret, and webhook secret. Metadata points to the active bundle only after the bundle is durable. Every registration is represented by one verified catalog row and encrypted bundle; there is no synthetic, configuration-backed, or globally active registration.

github_app_registration_flows

Manifest flows store state_hash, preallocated registration_id, initiating workspace_id and user_id, owner type/login, display name, visibility, canonical public base URL, manifest revision, expiry, consumption time, and creation time. A new flow for the same workspace supersedes its older unconsumed flow. State is random, hashed at rest, single-use, and expires after one hour.

github_workspace_connections

One row per configured workspace automation identity. Existing fields remain, with:

Field	Type	Constraint
app_registration_id	UUID text nullable	Required only for github_app_installation; FK to github_app_registrations.id with delete restricted

For an App connection, installation_id, verified account login/type, and app_registration_id must all be present. PAT/CLI/legacy rows must have no registration ID.

github_workspace_settings

The non-secret operational settings row adds task_git_credentials_mode, with allowed values:

Value	Behavior
managed	Inject the workspace broker contract for attached GitHub repositories unless an explicit executor-profile token overrides it. Existing missing/invalid values continue to normalize here for upgrade compatibility.
executor	Default persisted for newly created workspaces. Inject no Kandev GitHub helper or gh shim; use credentials available where the selected executor runs.

Missing or invalid persisted values normalize to managed. Workspace-settings copy includes this policy because it is operational configuration, not authentication material.

Task-session credential snapshot

After a successful launch or resume, task-session metadata contains a versioned git_credential_snapshot with:

• selected policy (managed or executor);
• effective source (workspace, executor_profile, or executor);
• workspace method when known (pat, gh_cli, github_app_installation, or legacy_shared);
• a known human/App actor label, or runtime_selected when Kandev does not inspect the credential;
• transport (managed_https, profile_token, or executor_selected), executor type, and capture timestamp.

The snapshot contains no token, lease, helper path, credential-file path, or SSH key detail. A failed launch/resume does not replace the last successful snapshot.

github_user_connections

One optional personal identity per (workspace_id, user_id). Add required app_registration_id, which must equal the current workspace App connection's registration. Access and refresh tokens remain encrypted under workspace/user-derived keys. Switching away from that App deletes the old personal secrets and increments its generation before the new automation connection becomes visible.

github_auth_flows

Installation and personal OAuth flows include app_registration_id in addition to workspace, user, expected connection generation, PKCE material, expiry, and consumption state. A callback is valid only when both its route registration ID and stored registration ID match.

github_webhook_deliveries

The primary key is (app_registration_id, delivery_id). A delivery is claimed only after the registration-specific HMAC signature is verified. The row records event, terminal result, received time, and processed time without payload secrets or tokens.

Background PR, task, and review-watch records retain workspace_id; review watches also retain the verified target human login. Missing or contradictory ownership fails closed.

API Surface

All non-public endpoints require workspace authorization. The current trusted-single-user runtime maps this to default-user; mutually untrusted deployments require real workspace/admin roles before exposing registration management.

Registration catalog

• GET /api/v1/github/app/registrations?workspace_id=<id> returns accessible non-secret registrations, source, identity, visibility, callback URLs, health, whether each is selected by this workspace, and sharing implications. It never returns credentials.
• POST /api/v1/github/app/registrations/manifest/start accepts workspace_id, display_name, owner type/login, visibility, and public base URL. It returns the GitHub owner-specific manifest submission URL, generated manifest, state, registration ID, revision, and expiry.
• GET /api/v1/github/app/registrations/:registrationId/manifest/callback consumes state, converts the one-hour code, verifies identity and policy, commits an encrypted bundle plus metadata, and returns to that workspace's GitHub settings. It does not select or install the App automatically.
• POST /api/v1/github/app/registrations/import/prepare creates a short-lived, single-use import preparation for the initiating workspace. It returns registration_id, public_base_url, manifest_callback_url, install_callback_url, personal_callback_url, webhook_url, permissions, events, and expires_at so the user can configure the existing App before submitting any root credentials. The legacy setup_url response field is retained for client compatibility and is always empty because OAuth-on-install disables GitHub's Setup URL.
• POST /api/v1/github/app/registrations/import consumes the prepared registration_id and accepts the workspace context, label, App ID, client ID/secret, slug, private key, webhook secret, owner, and visibility. It verifies the App via GitHub before atomically persisting it. Duplicate (host, app_id) returns github_app_already_registered and the non-secret existing registration ID.
• PATCH /api/v1/github/app/registrations/:registrationId changes only display_name.
• DELETE /api/v1/github/app/registrations/:registrationId deletes a registration only when no workspace or personal connection references it.

Workspace automation

• GET /api/v1/github/status?workspace_id=<id> returns automation, personal identity, effective actors, App registration metadata, capabilities, missing permissions, and migration state.
• GET /api/v1/github/workspace-settings?workspace_id=<id> returns repository scope, saved preferences, and task_git_credentials_mode.
• PUT /api/v1/github/workspace-settings accepts a partial task_git_credentials_mode update and rejects unknown values without changing the prior policy.
• GET /api/v1/github/auth/gh-cli/accounts?workspace_id=<id> lists exact local host/login choices.
• PUT /api/v1/github/workspace-connection?workspace_id=<id> configures validated PAT or named CLI auth. App connections can only be committed by the verified installation callback.
• POST /api/v1/github/app/install/start accepts workspace_id and app_registration_id, stores a single-use flow, and returns the registration-specific GitHub installation URL.
• GET /api/v1/github/app/registrations/:registrationId/install/callback verifies state, App, installation, authorizing user, and owner association before atomically replacing workspace automation. Failure leaves the previous automation connection unchanged.
• DELETE /api/v1/github/workspace-connection?workspace_id=<id> removes workspace secret material and the App installation binding but never deletes or uninstalls the registration.
• POST /api/v1/github/app/registrations/:registrationId/webhook is public. It chooses exactly that registration's webhook secret, validates HMAC before parsing or claiming the delivery, and only mutates connections whose registration and installation both match.

Personal identity

• POST /api/v1/github/personal-connection/start uses the workspace's active App registration and returns its PKCE/state authorization URL.
• GET /api/v1/github/app/registrations/:registrationId/personal/callback validates route, state, PKCE, current workspace registration, and GitHub user before storing tokens.
• DELETE /api/v1/github/personal-connection?workspace_id=<id> deletes only the current user's workspace personal connection and secrets.

Existing /api/v1/github/token remains a one-release compatibility alias with mandatory workspace_id and a deprecation header.

State Machines

Registration

• absent -> registering: start a manifest flow or prepare an import with a preallocated ID.
• registering -> active: verify GitHub identity and durable credential bundle, then publish catalog metadata and hot-load the registration generation.
• registering -> absent: cancellation, expiry, replay, conversion, validation, or persistence failure leaves no selectable registration. An orphan App created on GitHub is reported with recovery instructions.
• active -> invalid: credential load, signing, or identity validation fails; workspaces selecting it fail closed while PAT/CLI workspaces continue.
• active -> absent: delete an unreferenced managed/imported registration.

Webhook health is independent: unverified -> verified after the first correctly signed delivery; post-signature processing failures produce failing; a later valid successful delivery restores verified.

Workspace automation

• The current connection remains active while PAT/CLI validation, App creation/import, and App installation are pending.
• A successful replacement increments the workspace credential generation, revokes old broker leases, clears incompatible personal auth, and then exposes the new connection atomically.
• Installation suspension, deletion, permission loss, or registration invalidity updates only connections matching both registration ID and installation ID.
• Disconnect removes workspace-owned secrets and leaves the reusable registration untouched.

Task Git credential resolution

• Missing settings start at managed.
• New workspace creation attempts to persist executor before the workspace is exposed for task launch; a persistence failure leaves the existing managed compatibility fallback in place.
• Operator-authorized creation snapshots a validated active host gh host/login as a named CLI connection when available; member creation and unavailable/invalid host CLI leave automation disconnected.
• managed + explicit profile GITHUB_TOKEN/GH_TOKEN -> executor_profile.
• managed + attached GitHub repository + active workspace connection -> workspace broker.
• executor -> executor-visible credentials, regardless of PAT/CLI/App automation method.
• Initial launch and resume run the same resolution. A successful operation replaces the session snapshot; a failed operation leaves the previous snapshot unchanged.
• Managed admission resolves the task policy and the selected executor profile before it validates repository identity. An explicit profile GITHUB_TOKEN or GH_TOKEN bypasses managed broker admission because the profile token is the effective source.
• Managed admission completes before Kandev creates, rebinds, resumes, or changes a session, and before a workflow transition changes the current step. A policy error or an invalid repository identity leaves the task, workflow, and session state unchanged.
• Each attached repository is resolved once for an individual launch or resume. The resolved repository set is shared by task configuration and credential-snapshot construction rather than triggering repeated materialization or origin mutation.
• Broker issuance and redemption use the same persisted repository identity fields. A local Git checkout and its origin are materialization data, not authorization data.
• A public github.com remote can supply an in-memory origin when persisted provider-host metadata is absent. Kandev does not rewrite repository provider identity from partial legacy metadata.
• Changing the workspace policy affects new launches and the next resume, not an already-running process.

Permissions And Security

• Registration list/create/import/delete requires registration-manager authority plus access to the initiating workspace. Under the current single-user trust model default-user has both; future multi-user deployments must replace this provisional rule.
• Workspace connection and personal identity actions require access to that workspace.
• Registration IDs are not secrets. They select a candidate key; HMAC verification is still mandatory before any webhook payload is trusted.
• Secret request fields have bounded bodies, are excluded from structured logs and errors, are stored only in the encrypted secret store, and are never returned by status/catalog APIs.
• Runtime and token-cache keys include registration ID, registration generation, installation ID, workspace ID, and repository scope as applicable. No lookup may fall back to another registration or workspace.
• Named GitHub CLI bearer tokens remain memory-only and are re-resolved from the exact selected host/login after at most five minutes. Connection-generation invalidation remains immediate.
• Public base URL validation requires a canonical HTTPS origin with no credentials, query, or fragment and rejects loopback, private, link-local, or non-globally-routable DNS results. Kandev does not fetch the supplied URL as validation.
• Repository identity accepts credential-free HTTPS and SSH remote forms. Authorities must remain ASCII-only and percent-free before URL parsing or case folding. It rejects an SSH password, query, or fragment before canonicalization, and an error never contains the rejected secret-bearing remote.
• App private keys, client secrets, webhook secrets, personal tokens, and live installation tokens never enter executor environments. Only brokered PAT/CLI tokens or repository-restricted installation tokens reach a managed trusted child operation; explicit executor-profile GITHUB_TOKEN/GH_TOKEN values are an unmanaged exception and can reach that child instead.
• Managed helper configuration resets the inherited GitHub HTTPS helper chain, disables terminal prompts, and activates Kandev's agentctl/gh tool directory only for broker-enabled task instances. It does not claim to prevent a host-authority agent from manually switching a remote to SSH or invoking another credential-bearing tool.
• The helper command uses a Kandev-owned absolute executable variable rather than searching ambient PATH. The variable is bound before executor preparation and refreshed from os.Executable by a running agentctl. Unix shell-startup restoration composes with an inherited BASH_ENV, resolves simple environment-variable references in that hook path from the effective child environment, remains conditional on the broker contract, and never places broker leases, tokens, or credential scopes in shell arguments or startup files.
• The effective task Git environment is runtime-only. It is copied only after the existing task/session or task-environment ownership check, is never persisted in task metadata or terminal records, and is never written to logs, errors, browser payloads, or process arguments.
• The broker accepts a fork owner/repository only when it exactly matches a valid contribution_destination or remote_contribution on the same authorized task-repository attachment. Unknown binding versions, malformed URLs, cross-workspace rows, unrelated forks, and target mismatches fail closed.
• Indexed Git configuration is validated and composed as a single ordered block at environment merge boundaries. Kandev never replaces a complete inherited block merely by assigning its own GIT_CONFIG_COUNT; managed helper reset semantics are expressed as later Git config entries.

Failure Modes

• A registration create/import failure never replaces workspace auth or exposes submitted secrets.
• A duplicate import directs the user to select the known registration instead of storing another copy of its root credentials.
• Callback route/state/registration/workspace mismatches fail closed and consume no unrelated flow.
• An invalid webhook signature performs no delivery claim, health update, or connection mutation.
• Missing App permissions produce capability-specific diagnostics; unrelated capabilities continue to work.
• GitHub CLI account discovery and token resolution tolerate host CLI releases both before and after structured status and multi-account flags. Genuine discovery failures are shown as errors, not as an empty account list. A CLI without named-token support may resolve only the active account; selecting another stored login fails with guidance to activate it or upgrade the CLI.
• If the managed agentctl helper, broker, or gh shim is unavailable, the command fails with a managed-credential error and does not fall through to another HTTPS helper or interactive prompt.
• If a contribution task cannot prove direct target write access or prepare an exact fork writable by the workspace automation connection, task creation fails before launch. A same-name repository that is not a fork of the canonical target is reported as a conflict and is never overwritten.
• If an authorized task terminal, passthrough PTY, or task-scoped command cannot receive its effective managed Git environment, Kandev fails that process start before it runs the requested command. It does not silently fall back to an ambient credential helper or host gh login.
• If any environment source supplies a malformed or unreasonably large indexed Git configuration, task environment preparation fails with a sanitized configuration error rather than silently truncating, partially merging, or executing a different block.
• If executor inheritance is selected but no usable credential exists in that executor, Git/SSH reports its normal authentication failure. Kandev does not probe or guess the actor.
• If host gh is absent, unauthenticated, or fails active-account validation while a workspace is created, the workspace remains disconnected for automation, retains executor task access, and creation succeeds.
• If executor-default persistence fails while a workspace is created, the workspace remains available with the existing managed task-access fallback and a warning for retry/configuration; Kandev does not claim executor inheritance was applied.
• If Kandev cannot reconcile a managed checkout's origin with the selected task policy, Local and Worktree preparation fails before the agent starts instead of silently using the other policy's transport.
• If Git rejects a managed checkout because its filesystem owner differs from the Kandev service account, preparation fails with an ownership-specific, credential-safe diagnostic. Kandev does not retry with a global trust override, suppress the Git check, or mutate filesystem ownership.
• Generic origin-inspection and origin-update failures include only bounded, credential-redacted Git output. Credentials embedded in URL userinfo or known authentication material never appear in logs, session errors, or browser payloads.
• Deleting a registration with any workspace or personal reference returns github_app_registration_in_use with a non-secret binding count.
• Changing workspace auth while a flow is open makes the stale callback fail without reverting the newer connection.
• A PAT replacement is validated against GitHub before it replaces the current workspace connection. An invalid PAT leaves the previous connection unchanged, keeps the submitted draft available for correction, and shows the validation error in the connection dialog.
• If a previously valid GitHub credential expires or is revoked, My GitHub stays on the current route and renders a reconnect/loading error instead of treating GitHub's 401 as an expired Kandev login session.

Persistence Guarantees

Registrations, workspace/personal bindings, task Git credential policy, credential generations, health, auth flows, webhook dedupe, and successful task-session credential snapshots survive restart. Installation tokens, App JWTs, CLI-derived tokens, and broker lease plaintext remain memory-only. Active encrypted-bundle pointers are crash consistent; orphan inactive bundles are reconciled after restart. Restart rebuilds runtime clients independently for every valid stored registration and never creates a global default.

UX And Mobile Contract

• Workspace GitHub settings lead with the active automation identity and a Change connection command. The method chooser presents GitHub CLI first, followed by PAT and GitHub App, with descriptions rather than a segmented tab control.
• Method descriptions state where the credential is stored/resolved and how managed tasks receive it. The same access group shows a compact Task access summary and the Change GitHub connection dialog visibly explains and edits Managed workspace credentials and Inherit executor Git credentials, including local/Worktree versus remote behavior and explicit profile-token precedence. The page does not repeat those controls in a standalone settings section.
• The Task Git access heading exposes supplementary help that explains the managed Git credential helper, repository-scoped broker lease redemption, broker-aware gh shim, executor inheritance, and when a changed policy takes effect. The visible option descriptions remain plain-language decision guidance and use the same explanatory typography as the rest of the dialog.
• One Save changes submission persists every changed local draft in the dialog: a PAT or named CLI workspace connection and the task Git access policy. It reports success only after all changed drafts save, keeps failed drafts available for retry, and never implies that one setting silently determines the other. The action stays visible in a fixed bottom row while the content above owns scrolling; a bottom fade cues additional content. App create/import/install remain separate workflow actions.
• Task Git access options use compact spacing while retaining their full descriptions and minimum touch targets.
• GitHub App selection first explains when to use it and the sharing/isolation trade-off, then lists known registrations and actions to Add existing App or Create new App.
• The import guide provides copyable callback, setup, and webhook URLs; required permissions/events; exact GitHub settings navigation; bounded secret inputs; validation; and an install handoff.
• The manifest guide asks owner, visibility, display name, and public URL. Visibility help explicitly distinguishes installability from Marketplace publication and repository access.
• Permission details use a button and dialog. Current actor, installation account, App label, source, visibility, webhook health, and sharing warning are scannable without exposing secrets.
• My GitHub identity appears as a connectable section only for App automation. For PAT/CLI, Workspace GitHub access states that My GitHub and user-triggered actions use the same verified human identity; the page does not render a redundant identity section or a fake selector.
• The workspace identity and task-access summary lines expose concise help through a tooltip on hover or keyboard focus and the same explanation in a 44px-target drawer on touch devices.
• Refreshing an already loaded workspace GitHub status keeps the current identity, task-access summary, and actions visible while the request is in flight. The refresh control alone shows progress and prevents duplicate activation. A workspace whose status has not loaded yet still shows the initial connection-status placeholder and never inherits another workspace's data.
• When rate-limit snapshots are available, the connection status row exposes a Show GitHub API limits icon. Its desktop tooltip and touch drawer show remaining and total API requests, GraphQL query points, Search requests, and reset timing. Exhausted buckets explain that background PR and issue checks are paused.
• Desktop and mobile support the same create/import/select/install/switch/disconnect flows. Mobile uses a single-column sheet/page, one scroll owner, safe-area padding, 44px targets, no fixed footer, and no horizontal overflow. External GitHub navigation is deliberate and returns to the same workspace settings route.
• The desktop connection dialog is wide enough for the three method cards and explanatory content without cramped columns. Mobile keeps the existing full-height single-column drawer; its one Save changes action remains inside the scroll owner and is at least 44px tall.
• The Changes panel branch disclosure includes the active session's launch-time Git credential snapshot. Desktop supports hover and keyboard focus; coarse-pointer/mobile users open the same information in a 44px-target drawer. Unknown inherited/profile actors are explicitly labeled runtime-selected.

Scenarios

• GIVEN a brand-new Kandev database and an authenticated active host gh account, WHEN the initial workspace is seeded, THEN its automation connection records that exact CLI host/login, its task access is executor inheritance, and its first task does not request a managed credential lease.

• GIVEN an administrator or internal trusted caller and an authenticated active host gh account, WHEN a workspace is created, THEN the workspace records that exact named CLI automation connection and executor task access.

• GIVEN a non-admin member and an authenticated server-operator gh account, WHEN the member creates a workspace, THEN the workspace has executor task access but no automatic GitHub automation connection.

• GIVEN no usable authenticated host gh account, WHEN an authorized caller creates a workspace, THEN workspace creation succeeds, task access is executor inheritance, and GitHub automation remains disconnected.

• GIVEN an existing installation with managed, disconnected, or legacy missing workspace settings, WHEN Kandev upgrades, THEN those connections and task policies remain unchanged.

• GIVEN a workspace GitHub status is visible, WHEN the user refreshes it and the status request is still pending, THEN the existing workspace content remains visible and usable while the refresh control is busy, on both desktop and mobile.

• GIVEN the user navigates to a workspace with no loaded GitHub status, WHEN its initial status request is pending, THEN the UI shows the connection-status placeholder and no status from the previous workspace.

• GIVEN two workspaces, WHEN each selects a different App registration and installation, THEN status, tokens, webhooks, repositories, actors, and revocation remain isolated.

• GIVEN two workspaces intentionally reuse one registration, WHEN each installs it into a different account, THEN each workspace receives only its own installation and repository scope while the UI identifies the shared root App identity.

• GIVEN a private managed App, WHEN creation completes, THEN the UI says it is installable only on its owner and does not imply Marketplace publication.

• GIVEN a user chooses public, WHEN the manifest is submitted, THEN public: true is sent and the confirmation explains that installation approval still controls repository access.

• GIVEN a correctly configured existing App, WHEN the import is verified, THEN it appears in the workspace chooser without becoming the active connection until installation succeeds.

• GIVEN an imported App misses a required GitHub setting, WHEN validation or installation runs, THEN the guide identifies the exact setting without returning submitted secrets.

• GIVEN App creation, import, or installation is canceled, WHEN the user returns, THEN the previous workspace automation connection remains active.

• GIVEN an App workspace with personal OAuth, WHEN it switches registration or to PAT/CLI, THEN the incompatible personal connection is removed and its old tokens cannot be resolved.

• GIVEN a webhook for registration A, WHEN it is sent to registration B's route or signature, THEN no delivery or workspace state is mutated.

• GIVEN a PAT or named CLI workspace, WHEN an agent uses the managed credential helper, THEN it receives that workspace's automation token and the UI does not promise provider-side repository narrowing.

• GIVEN a named CLI workspace in managed mode, WHEN a task launches, THEN Kandev resolves the selected host/login, makes both managed git and gh available in standalone and remote runtimes, and does not depend on the host's currently active CLI account.

• GIVEN an authorized user opens a terminal, uses a passthrough-agent PTY, or starts a task-scoped command in a managed task, WHEN it accesses an attached GitHub repository, THEN it receives the same task-scoped broker helper and gh shim environment as the agent subprocess.

• GIVEN an unauthorised user or a terminal for another task environment, WHEN it attempts to open a terminal or start a process, THEN it cannot receive the managed task Git environment.

• GIVEN a workspace selects executor inheritance, WHEN a Local/Worktree or remote task launches, THEN Kandev injects no broker helper/shim and the task uses host-visible or executor-configured credentials respectively.

• GIVEN a configured workspace, WHEN the user views Workspace GitHub access, THEN one compact summary identifies both the workspace automation identity and the effective task access mode without rendering a separate Task Git credentials settings section.

• GIVEN a PAT or named CLI workspace, WHEN the user views Workspace GitHub access, THEN the page states that the same account powers My GitHub and user-triggered actions without rendering a separate My GitHub identity section, and accessible help explains both the workspace identity and task-access summary.

• GIVEN a workspace status with GitHub rate-limit snapshots, WHEN the user hovers, focuses, or taps Show GitHub API limits, THEN the disclosure shows the remaining and total API, GraphQL query, and Search quotas with reset timing for that workspace connection.

• GIVEN a PAT or named CLI connection draft and a changed task access mode, WHEN the user presses the dialog's single Save changes action, THEN both drafts are persisted, the dialog closes only after both succeed, and reopening shows the selected account and task mode.

• GIVEN a user enters an invalid replacement PAT, WHEN GitHub rejects it during Save changes, THEN the dialog remains open, the submitted PAT remains available for correction, an error is shown, and the previously active workspace connection is unchanged.

• GIVEN a configured PAT has expired or been revoked, WHEN the user opens My GitHub and the provider data request returns 401, THEN the page remains on /github, shows an authentication loading error, and does not navigate to the Kandev login screen.

• GIVEN a changed task access mode but no PAT or CLI connection change, WHEN the user presses Save changes, THEN only the task policy is persisted and the selected automation identity remains unchanged.

• GIVEN managed task access, WHEN the user hovers, focuses, or taps the Task Git access help, THEN it explains that Git calls Kandev's agentctl credential helper for attached GitHub HTTPS repositories, the helper redeems a scoped broker lease on demand, gh uses a broker-aware shim, and credentials are not written into the repository.

• GIVEN the host gh clone protocol is SSH and a Kandev-managed GitHub checkout currently has an HTTPS origin, WHEN the workspace selects executor inheritance and launches a Local or Worktree task, THEN Kandev changes that managed checkout's origin to the canonical SSH URL before task preparation so matching Git conditional includes apply.

• GIVEN a Kandev-managed GitHub checkout currently has an SSH origin, WHEN the workspace selects managed credentials and launches a Local or Worktree task, THEN Kandev changes that managed checkout's origin to canonical HTTPS before task preparation.

• GIVEN a Kandev-managed checkout already has the canonical origin selected by the task policy, WHEN a task launches or resumes, THEN Kandev inspects the origin but does not rewrite .git/config.

• GIVEN a task with one or more attached repositories, WHEN launch or resume builds the primary, multi-repository, and credential configuration, THEN each repository is prepared once and the same resolved result is reused by all three consumers.

• GIVEN a managed checkout is owned by brewuser while the Kandev service runs as root, WHEN Git rejects origin inspection or reconciliation as dubious ownership, THEN task preparation stops and reports that the service account and managed repository owner disagree, without suggesting safe.directory=*.

• GIVEN Git emits a failure containing credential-bearing URL userinfo, WHEN the failure is returned through task preparation, THEN the diagnostic retains actionable Git context but redacts the credential and bounds the output length.

• GIVEN a repository is registered from a user-managed local checkout, WHEN either task Git credential policy is selected, THEN Kandev leaves its configured origin unchanged.

• GIVEN managed mode and an explicit executor-profile GitHub token, WHEN a task launches, THEN the profile token wins and the session disclosure labels its actor runtime-selected.

• GIVEN managed mode and an explicit executor-profile GITHUB_TOKEN or GH_TOKEN, WHEN an attached repository has incomplete managed identity, THEN the profile token remains the effective source and managed broker admission does not reject the task.

• GIVEN a managed repository remote with an SSH password, query, or fragment, WHEN Kandev resolves its credential identity, THEN resolution fails without exposing the remote and no task, workflow, or session state changes.

• GIVEN a provider-backed repository whose only usable identity is a local checkout origin, WHEN a managed task launches or the broker authorizes a request, THEN both paths reject the incomplete persisted identity before session state changes.

• GIVEN task Git credential policy resolution fails, WHEN a normal or Office task launches or resumes, THEN Kandev returns the error and does not create, rebind, or resume a session.

• GIVEN a workflow transition selects an agent profile that cannot use managed credentials, WHEN the source step exits, THEN Kandev keeps the source step and current session and does not route the destination step prompt.

• GIVEN a managed helper cannot execute or redeem its lease, WHEN Git requests GitHub HTTPS credentials, THEN the command fails without falling through to a personal helper or prompt.

• GIVEN a broker-enabled managed task whose login profile replaces its inherited PATH, WHEN Git requests GitHub HTTPS credentials, THEN the configured helper invokes the instance-owned agentctl directly and does not search or fall through to an ambient helper.

• GIVEN a broker-enabled Local or Worktree task whose checkout or setup script invokes Git before the task instance is created, WHEN Git requests GitHub HTTPS credentials, THEN the configured helper invokes the standalone launcher's absolute agentctl executable without consulting PATH or an ambient helper.

• GIVEN a broker-enabled Docker or Sprites task whose prepare script clones before agentctl starts, WHEN Git requests GitHub HTTPS credentials during that clone, THEN the configured helper invokes the already-installed absolute executor binary and redeems the task lease without consulting PATH or an ambient helper.

• GIVEN a broker-enabled managed task with an existing Bash environment hook, WHEN a non-interactive login shell replaces PATH, THEN the existing hook still runs and the Kandev-managed agentctl and gh shims are restored ahead of ambient tools before the requested command starts.

• GIVEN that existing Bash environment hook is expressed as $HOME/hook.sh or ${KANDEV_HOOK_ROOT}/hook.sh, WHEN Kandev composes its managed startup fragment, THEN it resolves the reference from the effective child environment and sources the intended hook rather than a filename containing literal dollar-sign text.

• GIVEN the host or executor exports indexed Git config for core.hooksPath and notes.augment.mergeStrategy, WHEN Kandev appends its managed GitHub helper configuration, THEN the agent receives one contiguous block containing the original entries first and the Kandev entries afterward, and a real Git commit still runs the configured hook.

• GIVEN Docker or a remote control process already contains the same task Git config suffix, WHEN that suffix is forwarded again while creating or configuring an agent instance, THEN Kandev emits it once while retaining executor-added safe.directory and URL rewrites.

• GIVEN a workspace policy or automation connection changes after launch, WHEN the user views the running session, THEN the Changes disclosure still shows its launch snapshot; a successful resume records and shows the newly resolved contract.

• GIVEN an authenticated host GitHub CLI without structured status or named-token flags, WHEN an operator selects its sole account and gh auth status reports successfully on stderr, THEN Kandev discovers and validates that account without requiring a CLI upgrade.

• GIVEN a valid migrated legacy_shared connection and a legacy shared managed checkout, WHEN a task needs a workspace-isolated checkout, THEN Kandev resolves the same automation identity's Git credential and clones into that workspace's managed root without persisting or exposing the token.

• GIVEN desktop and mobile viewports, WHEN users complete every App flow, THEN actions and disclosures remain usable without clipping, overlap, or desktop-only capability.

• GIVEN a mobile coarse-pointer viewport, WHEN the user opens Change GitHub connection, THEN the task access controls share the existing full-height drawer's single scroll owner, remain touch reachable, clear the safe area, and introduce no horizontal overflow.

• GIVEN desktop fine-pointer and mobile coarse-pointer task views, WHEN the branch disclosure is opened, THEN both show the same credential policy, method, actor truth, and transport without horizontal overflow.

Success Criteria

• No runtime, callback, webhook, cache, broker, or status path resolves a GitHub App without both workspace and registration identity where workspace ownership is required.
• A seeded E2E run proves different Apps for work/personal workspaces and intentional App reuse.
• Secret scans find no PAT, private key, client secret, webhook secret, personal token, refresh token, or live installation token in logs, API snapshots, redirects, process arguments, or executor environments.
• Standalone, container, and remote task tests prove the managed helper is discoverable only for broker-enabled instances and their authorized task terminals/processes, while executor inheritance receives no Kandev GitHub helper/shim.
• A real Git subprocess test proves that host/executor indexed hooks and notes config survive managed credential injection, and focused tests prove ordered composition and overlap handling across standalone, container, and remote launch shapes.

Out Of Scope

• Multiple automation connections or per-repository credential routing inside one workspace.
• Automatically editing an imported App's GitHub settings or uninstalling an App on disconnect.
• Automatic private-key/client-secret rotation; users replace an unbound stored registration or import the replacement App credentials through the guided flow.
• GitHub Enterprise Server, enterprise-owned Apps, or hosts other than github.com.
• Kandev multi-user login, workspace membership, or RBAC implementation.
• Publishing Apps to GitHub Marketplace.
• Discovering or verifying the actor behind inherited credential managers, SSH agents, or explicit profile tokens.
• Preventing a host-authority agent from manually selecting another Git transport outside Kandev-injected managed HTTPS and gh commands.

Implementation Plan

See the original authentication implementation plan and the task Git credential policy follow-up plan, plus the executor clone transport repair plan, and the managed task terminal environment plan, and the managed GitHub login-shell repair plan, and the system-service identity guardrails repair plan. The new-workspace default repair is tracked in the new workspace GitHub access defaults plan. Managed credential admission and repository identity corrections are tracked in the managed Git credential admission repair plan.

Decision

See ADR-2026-07-21-workspace-selectable-github-app-registrations and ADR-2026-07-27-task-git-credential-policy. New-workspace defaults are defined by ADR-2026-08-02-new-workspace-github-access-defaults. The system-service ownership boundary is defined by ADR-2026-07-31-system-service-user-continuity.